Chapter 106 106
Aurélie POV
“I’m sorry, Alpha. I didn’t think.”
Théo’s voice slips into my mind, edged with regret.
“It’s fine,” I reply evenly, though tension still coils in my chest. “But I do need to speak with you alone. I’ll find you later.”
I sever the mind-link and reach for Damien’s wrist.
The moment my fingers brush his skin, sparks erupt violent and immediate. Heat flashes through my palm, forcing me to jerk back as if I’ve been burned.
I can’t touch him.
It’s too much.
“Do you need me to go somewhere with you?” Damien asks, arching a brow as his gaze drops to my hand, now clenched tightly into a fist.
“We’re going to the hospital,” I say quickly. I know if I mention getting him checked over by Fabrice outright, he’ll refuse. “…to finish the tour.”
“You fibber,” Damien mutters, scowling as Fabrice gestures for him to sit on the hospital bed.
“Surely you’re used to a woman lying to you by now, Damien,” I shoot back before I can stop myself.
“Ouch,” he mocks, clutching his chest dramatically. “Straight to the heart.”
“You should have had more fluids, Alpha,” Fabrice says, already examining his wounds.
“I didn’t have time to waste,” Damien replies. “I was out for a few days. I needed to get back into action.”
A few days?
That didn’t sit right. For an Alpha of his strength and standing, being down for that long was unusual. Unease settles deeper as my thoughts return to the poisoned bullets. If Damien had struggled with them, then the rest of us were in far greater danger than we’d admitted.
And yet a week had passed. No attacks. No signs. Security had been tight, and I intended to tighten it further, especially with visiting packs present. Perhaps the extra precautions were unnecessary.
But perhaps not.
She could have fled the country for all we knew.
I know what I need to do.
I can’t afford to place all my faith in one plan.
She was responsible for my parents’ deaths. For the slaughter of pack members. For tearing this pack apart. For kidnapping my son. For poisoning Damien against me.
For leaving him for dead.
“I need to go do something,” I announce abruptly as my thoughts snap back to the present. I force my aura down, keep my anger leashed. Both men turn to me, identical frowns etched across their faces.
“All right,” Fabrice says carefully. “I’ll let you know how we get on.” His eyes flick back to Damien’s injuries.
“Thank you, Fabrice.”
I don’t look back as I leave but I know Damien is watching me. I can feel his gaze pressed between my shoulders.
I move with purpose, heading straight for the training grounds, where Théo is deep in conversation with warriors from Darkvale and Bloodnight.
“Théo,” I call. “A word when you’re ready.”
I gesture toward my office before walking away.
Once inside, I skim through my morning emails, barely registering their contents.
A knock follows shortly.
“Alpha?” Théo asks as he steps in, closing the door behind him and taking a seat.
“What can I do for you?” he asks.
I stay silent a moment longer, finalizing my resolve.
“I need someone who can discreetly track down Geneviève,” I say at last.
Damien is the finest tracker I know but their history makes him unsuitable. When the time came, could he truly end her life?
I doubted it.
I needed a contingency. Someone to locate her. To learn her movements. To uncover her intentions.
“I’d be honoured to take on the task, Alpha,” Théo says without hesitation.
“No,” I reply softly. “Émilie is pregnant. Roland is still too young.”
“There has to be someone else.”
“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t capable,” he insists. “I’ll keep my distance and report back anything I can.”
If I weren’t Alpha if I weren’t a mother I would go myself. I would look her in the eye. See what lies she tells now that she stands pack-less once again.
“Very well,” I say finally. “This is strictly confidential. You are not to inform anyone not even Fabrice. Any sightings, any information, comes directly to me. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Alpha,” Théo answers solemnly. “I understand.”